Princess Alice, chancellor

Princess Alice, countess of Athlone, was the daughter of Queen Victoria's younger son. She was honored by one of the stamps issued by Trinidad and Tobago this 3 October 2008 for the sixtieth anniversary of the University of the West Indies, whose one part was settled in this country. She was its first chancellor. But, it was not the first stamp of her long life (1883-1981).

(TT Post)

In 1951, the States participating to the creation of the University of the West Indies launched a omnibus two-stamp issue: the arms of the university on the first, the new chancellor on the second. Certainly, the English-speaking Caribbean post offices may have issue stamps in her honor since the fifties (but I lack catalogs).

For this series, the Stanley Gibbons do not give the artist's name. It was apparently an engraver employed by the British printer Waterlow that worked on the two designs. The royal effigy of George VI was replaced by his cypher.

During a Google search, I found two text cancellations of Jamaica around 1955 (1 et 2), visibly a call to donate to a charity leaded by Princess Alice because the first years of the university were financially difficult.


This article is a upgraded version of the 4 October 2008 post.